Saturday, July 30, 2011

Who's Right In This Case?

A string of seven student suicides district-wide in less than two years has stirred public debate over Anoka-Hennepin's sexual orientation curriculum policy.

Parents and friends say four of those students were either gay, perceived to be gay or questioning their sexuality, and they say, at least two of them were bullied over their sexuality.

The district's curriculum policy, adopted in 2009, bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. It's become known as the neutrality policy. Anoka-Hennepin is the only Minnesota school district known to have such a policy.

"It's a censorship policy," Fietek said. "It's censorship. There's nothing neutral about taking the side of the oppressor."

Reasonable people can disagree on this topic, as there are very strong points for and against each position.